The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to directing airflow in an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (‘IHS’). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Some IHSs include memory devices that need to be cooled by fans coupled to the IHS. As the memory power density of the memory devices in IHSs increase, achieving the thermal and acoustic goals for the IHS raises a number of issues.
Conventionally, the cooling of the memory devices is typically accomplished by using a fan to move air over the memory devices. However, due to acoustical goals for the IHS, increasing the fan speed in order to provide additional cooling may not be advantageous, as the increased fan speed provides unwanted noise. One proven method for increasing cooling without increasing fan speed is to reduce the amount of bypass airflow around the memory devices. This is typically accomplished by providing an airflow blocking member moveably connected to the IHS chassis. The airflow blocking member typically occupies the space normally taken up by a memory device in the IHS when there is no memory device installed in a memory device slot on the IHS in order to block airflow through that space. The airflow blocking member is then operable to move out of the way of a memory device and into the IHS chassis when the memory device is installed a memory device slot on the IHS.
However, some IHSs include a plurality of densely packed smaller chassis which are positioned in a larger chassis that includes fans for moving air through the plurality of smaller chassis. The smaller chassis also includes memory devices which need to be cooled by the fans, but the densely packed smaller chassis typically do not include the space required to include airflow blocking members moveably connected to the smaller chassis that can move in and out of the space provided for the memory devices in order to block airflow from the fans when memory devices are not present in the memory device slots on the IHS.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for directing airflow in an IHS absent disadvantages, some of which have been discussed above.